Quarantine
by I heart Star Trek
Summary: After Spock beams back from investigating a rogue asteroid, he is put under quarantine, captain's orders. McCoy is confused and, seeing no medical reason for Spock's isolation, releases him.
1. Outline (Where I'm going with this)

Character A: Spock

Character B: Leonard McCoy

Theme A: Captain's Orders

Theme B: Honest Mistakes

Location: Asteroid

Object: Jeffries tube

Emotion: Confusion

Trope/Cliché: Quarantine

After Spock beams back from investigating a rogue asteroid, he is put under quarantine, captain's orders. McCoy is confused and, seeing no medical reason for Spock's isolation, releases him.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The Transporter Room materialized in front of Spock and he stepped off the pad. He was struck by Engineer Scott's expression and inquired into the nature of the human's distress.

"Ach, the biofilters didn't function properly, Mr. Spock. If you'll notice the forcefield set just in front of yeh, we don't want to contaminate the entire ship," Scott replied. "We'll have the good doctor here in a minute or two to assess yeh." Spock inwardly sighed. He did not wish to subject himself to McCoy's hyposprays and other 'medicinal' equipment.

"Very well, Mr. Scott," Spock folded his hands and waited for McCoy's imminent arrival. Sixty-three seconds had lapsed when the doors slid open. "Doctor," he acknowledged his friend.

"Well, Spock, now what have you done to yourself?" McCoy drawled sardonically.

Spock responded to the doctor's jibe by raising his eyebrow. "It is illogical to do harm to one's self intentionally, Doctor." McCoy ignored him, looking at the readings from his med-scanner.

The intercom sounded. "Bridge to Transporter Room. What's going on down there, Scotty?" After Scott had informed the Captain of the situation, there was a long pause. Then-

"Mr. Spock, confine yourself to quarters. I'm sending Yeoman Rand to escort you, safely, to your quarters. Until we know if anything inorganic beamed up with you, I want the probable source of potential alien material where I know where he is." There was a pause. "I'm sorry, Spock."

"Acknowledged. Spock ou-" he was cut off by an irate Doctor McCoy.

"Jim! Are you crazy? Why don't I take him down to Sickbay and run a few tests? As the CMO of this ship, it's my perogitive to overrule your orders if I feel it conflicts medically with the well-being of my patient!"

"Bones. I-" McCoy turned the speaker off. Immediately, the intercom whistled. "Spock, you're coming with me to Sickbay." McCoy said as he exited the Transporter Room.

"Doctor, it would wiser to await instruction from the Captain."

"Spock." McCoy turned around. "Just listen to your old country doctor. I'll quarantine yah, sure. But in Sickbay, where I can keep an eye on you." Seeing no flaw in the doctor's, albeit emotional, logic, Spock acquiesced

(A/N: Sorry it's so short. It looked longer when I had it handwritten…)


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As Spock and McCoy entered Sickbay, the intercom whistled again. "Kirk to Sickbay."

"Captain, I will inform you when Doctor McCoy and Mr. Spock arrive." Nurse Chapel was saying to the intercom. She looked up and visibly relaxed. "They just came in the door."

"Chris, I want 50 cc's of our mildest sedative," McCoy barely glanced over his shoulder.

"50 cc's, aye. Doctor what is happening?" Chapel asked as she handed McCoy the hypospray.

"I want a full diagnostic run on Mr. Spock. Include blood samples." The hypo hissed as it released its contents into the half-Vulcan's system. McCoy put the empty hypo down and ran his med-scanner around Spock's chest. He frowned, recalibrated it, and re-ran it. "Christine, get me another med-scanner. This one needs a thorough diagnostic." He handed her the defective tool and ran the new one over Spock. His brow creased and he asked the nurse to look at the results. Spock wondered what was happening. Finally, the two medical officers looked up. "We have detected no abnormalities outside your usual parameters. Why don't you go down to that Jeffries tube on Deck Three? The one Scotty's been having trouble with?" McCoy quirked a brow. "Maybe you'll be able to find the problem."

"Doctor, perhaps I should confine myself to this area?" It seemed as though Spock was arguing for the sake of argument, though McCoy could not fathom a logical reason.

"Spock, let me escort you to your quarters. A rest will do you good."

"Doctor, I must insist that we remain in Sickbay. It is past time for my quarterly physical, at any rate."

Now McCoy was becoming very suspicious. It was unlike the half-Vulcan (or any other crew member for that matter) to willingly take a physical, and early to boot. For Spock very well knew McCoy had run physicals on the senior staff not more than a month ago. Well, if Spock wanted a physical, McCoy would give him the most complicated physical Spock would have ever (or will) do. "Alright then. Mr. Spock, if you want physical. On the table and push the blocks at a steady pace with your feet as long as you can while simultaneously lifting twenty-five pounds with each arm." McCoy watched incredulously as Spock did this for fifteen minutes without changing tempo. McCoy added an additional eight pounds and checked the numbers against his PADD. "Okay, Spock. Now, I want you to run on the spot." After several more tests, McCoy finally motioned for Spock to stop. "You're in perfect health. You haven't even gained half a pound." McCoy muttered something under his breath that sounded like: "unlike Jim, who practically gains a pound by looking at food."

Spock merely nodded. McCoy scowled and told him he was fit for duty. Before Spock exited the room, however, he paused and turned to face the CMO. "Doctor, Leonard, if you would join me for dinner; I have an upcoming project which you may appreciate the opportunity to co-author." McCoy's frown deepened suspiciously. "Would seventeen hundred hours in the Senior Officer's lounge work for you?"

Taken aback by Spock's request, McCoy could only nod. He cleared his throat and said: "Yes, thank you Mr. Spock. I would like that very much."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Spock glanced at the chrono, though he didn't need it to know it was precisely sixteen fifty-nine. He knocked on the door to McCoy's quarters and smiled ever so slightly when he heard the good doctor's grumbling. The door hissed open and McCoy turned around. "Spock. Of course. Come in. I'll be ready in just a sec."

"Doctor," Spock started, "there is a carbon life form in the botany lab. I believe you may be interested in observing it."

"Spock," McCoy said a little exasperatedly, "I thought you wanted to write a paper."

"In order to write about the result, one must first research. Doctor, are you unwell? It is unlike you to forget that in order to go to place B one must first go through place A." Spock raised an eyebrow, daring McCoy to challenge his use of the aphorism.

"I'm going to the bridge," McCoy muttered. "At least Jim won't try to confuse me with science."

"Doctor, this project is not unlike any other that we have worked on in that we must observe it." Spock had the slightest glint in his eye, McCoy noted. He was up to something.

"Very well. Let's go see this 'carbon life form'." McCoy acquiesced. He walked alongside Spock in companionable silence, trying to think of what his friend was up to. As they entered the lab, he heard a soft purring. "Spock, that sounds like…"

"Doctor, it is a tribble. However if you'll look at the reading from the tricorder, you may notice something unusual."

McCoy peered into the viewer on Spock's tricorder and raised his eyebrow. "It's not pregnant." He said, astonished.

"I had hoped you would notice something else. This is not a pure tribble. Half its genes are those of a Denebian slime devil. If you closely observe its head, you can see the antennae, ears, and mouth protruding." Spock explained.

McCoy frowned. "Who would cross-breed a tribble with a Denebian slime devil? I mean, why would you create something that can eat anything, eats a lot (as in an entire grain storage, remember that Klingon plot to poison the people on Sherman's Planet?), and anyways, will most likely reproduce faster than is sustainable (not that you would probably want it to reproduce)."

"Doctor, as you yourself just observed, it is not pregnant. Therefore, it will not reproduce as frequently as a full tribble." Spock handed McCoy a PADD. "Here is the data. Your medical knowledge would be most helpful in this experiment."

"Spock…" McCoy said slowly, "does Jim know about this experiment?"

"The Captain is aware of all experiments on the _Enterprise_, Doctor. He himself signed the papers documenting my intentions." Spock skillfully evaded the question.

"Spock. Does Jim know that you are cross-breeding tribbles with Denebian slime devils?" McCoy persisted.

"If the Captain fully read through my intentions, the answer would be yes. However, knowing the Captain, he likely skimmed the first page before skipping to the back and signing." Spock stated.

McCoy shrugged. "If Jim can't take responsibility responsibly, who am I to force it upon him?"

"Who indeed, Doctor. Who indeed." Spock said, poker-faced.

*A/N: Short, I know. But at least I've got an update now! I had no clue what to write about next and kept putting this semi-daunting task of (I even worked on homework and other stuff like that before FanFiction! Awful, I know. Hopefully, I am able to get another update out there soon.)


End file.
